The theme of this entire entry of the woodshop journals is pretty simple…......when at a local flea market or auction….....keep diggin’!!! You really never know what you will find….and for some very lucky reason friends I seem to find some very cool things when it comes to this old handtool stuff. This blog will not dissapoint for any of you rusty gold lovers of oldtime galootness….lol

I had walked a good half hour….up one way….down the next…...ahhhh…...a tool guy…or more like…..oh no….not a tool guy!....lmao. I say this with a reason….tool guys know what they have to sell….so….they won’t kill ya on price…but they are not giving it away either…..keep that in mind if you go out this weekend looking to delve into creating your own handtool collection…lol. You honestly want folks that want to get rid of stuff…and are not as hip to the value of the revival of old handtools, or you want a seller that has…..a storage locker….ahhhhh yes….tons of nice furniture pieces…and to him a saw….ahhhh get it off of my table for a little fast cash in his pocket…..that’s when you have a BINGO!....LOL

The tool guy had some very clean saws…nothing very rare though….a few superiors….some 55 disstons…and a few no names. “10 bucks a saw” he said sort of coldly…..I was looking for something really more rare. I had been getting my reps in by now with these markets….I said “ok thanks” and kept moving.

Well…......I had no idea towards the end….that my consumer patience would play out for a major bargain. Under a mallet and a ball peen hammer..there it was…...lol. This looked and felt like a rather unused old saw….I asked the gentleman in the midst of all the boxes and furniture making deals left and right from his won storage locker….how much? “5 bucks for the saw!” BINGO…LOL

Being still very greenhorn to this whole old saw thing….I did know this saw felt heavy and was of great quality…..had a philli medallion…..I knew a reference to the disstonian institute was in sure order when getting this baby home.

The computer could not start up fast enough…I saw that the blades artwork was in decent shape and with cleaning would only improve. I was pretty knocked out….when I had made the match….with this link.

I was even more wowed….when I looked up this particular saw on an ebay auction…..the saw was only a few more steps ahead in condition then mine…...it sold for over $200.00 easy…...lmao.

Now…..I am very lucky to have and care for this saw….and of course I want to keep it. But….to know….at a Saturday morning auction…..I scored this one…...man….it’s too much fun going saw fishin’’ at the local flea markets now!!!!!

Walking away from the “Tool guy” and passing on his collection in retrospect he did have some clean and nice saws…..10 bucks a saw…not too bad. But…....I thought…I am so so lucky to be able to spend a few extra dollars on such a fun and crazy pastime….I want to leave a few saws in the tool guys till for maybe some young enthusiastic new woodworker, .....thinking his or her treasure gets found so they can go home and carry on the spirit of collecting these old time pieces and caring for them…..I think that’s worth a hell of a lot too.